Upcoming Training
Upcoming Training QPHRF to Host Training at the ACPN 45th Annual Scientific Conference (UNITY 2026) The Qua Pillar Health Research Foundation (QPHRF) will be hosting a featured training session at the 45th Annual Scientific Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), taking place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, FCT. Training Topic: From Local Pharmacy Data to Global Impact: Transforming Routine Practice into Real-World Evidence Date: Thursday, 30 July 2026 Time: 8:00 AM This interactive session will demonstrate how community pharmacies can transform routine clinical documentation and pharmacy data into high-quality real-world evidence that improves patient care, strengthens health systems, and informs healthcare policy. Participants will gain practical insights into clinical documentation, data quality, digital tools, and evidence generation for pharmacy practice. The session will feature an esteemed panel of facilitators: Prof. Joseph Fadare, Professor of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Medicine at Ekiti State University and Consultant Clinical Pharmacologist, renowned for his contributions to clinical pharmacology, rational medicine use, and medical education. Mr. Chisom Godswill, Public Health Researcher, Epidemiologist, Biostatistician, Doctoral Research Fellow, and Founder of the Flourish School of Data Analytics, with extensive experience in health research, implementation science, and data analytics. Pharm. Shadrach Eze, Head of Operations at QPHRF, whose work focuses on patient safety, medication safety, quality assurance, and leveraging data-driven approaches to improve healthcare outcomes. This training reflects QPHRF’s commitment to strengthening community pharmacy practice through innovation, capacity building, and the effective use of health data to advance evidence-based healthcare. We look forward to engaging pharmacists, researchers, students, and other healthcare professionals in what promises to be an insightful and impactful session.
Research & Innovation Watch
Research & Innovation Watch Can Digital Tools Strengthen Pharmacovigilance? Digital technologies are transforming how medicine safety is monitored worldwide. While traditional paper-based reporting systems remain valuable, electronic tools are making pharmacovigilance more efficient, accessible, and responsive. Mobile reporting applications now enable healthcare professionals to submit adverse drug reaction reports directly from clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals. Electronic health records provide real-world clinical data that can help identify patterns of medicine use and detect potential safety concerns more quickly than manual systems alone. Artificial intelligence is also beginning to support pharmacovigilance by analysing large volumes of safety data and identifying unusual reporting patterns that may warrant further investigation. Rather than replacing healthcare professionals, these technologies enhance their ability to recognise emerging safety signals and prioritise cases for review. In low-resource settings, digital innovation offers exciting opportunities, but implementation must consider local realities such as internet access, infrastructure, training, and data quality. Technology is only effective when people are confident using it and when reporting systems are integrated into routine clinical practice. The future of pharmacovigilance will combine human expertise with digital innovation, creating stronger systems that learn continuously from patient experiences and respond more rapidly to medicine safety concerns.
Medicine Safety Insight
Medicine Safety Insight The Cost of Missing Safety Signals Patient safety depends on recognising and responding to medicine-related problems as early as possible. When safety signals are missed, preventable harm can continue unnoticed, affecting many more patients before any action is taken. One of the most common reasons safety signals are missed is incomplete documentation. Missing information on medicines, doses, symptom timing, or patient history makes it difficult to determine whether a medicine contributed to an adverse event. Another challenge is the underreporting of adverse drug reactions. Many suspected reactions go unreported because they seem mild, are considered expected, or there is uncertainty about the link between the medicine and the event. However, pharmacovigilance depends on collecting many individual reports to identify patterns that might otherwise remain invisible. Missing safety signals can have serious consequences. Harmful medicines may continue to be prescribed without adequate warnings, healthcare professionals may remain unaware of emerging risks, and patients may experience preventable adverse events. Improving documentation and encouraging timely reporting strengthen healthcare systems’ ability to detect safety concerns early. Every accurate patient record and every ADR report contribute to a safer environment in which lessons learned from one patient help protect many others.
Event Spotlight
Event Spotlight Building a Culture of Safety Through Reporting Every day, healthcare professionals make countless decisions about medicines. While most treatments improve health, some patients experience unexpected or harmful reactions that require careful attention. Identifying these reactions depends not only on clinical expertise but also on a culture in which reporting is recognised as an essential part of patient care. Unfortunately, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) remain significantly under-reported worldwide. Many healthcare professionals assume that a reaction is already known, are uncertain whether a medicine caused the event, or believe that only severe reactions should be reported. Time constraints, limited awareness of reporting systems, and fear of blame may also discourage reporting. The consequences of underreporting extend beyond individual patients. When suspected ADRs are not documented, valuable safety information is lost. Patterns that could reveal previously unrecognised risks remain hidden, delaying regulatory action and preventing healthcare systems from learning from real-world experience. Building a strong reporting culture means encouraging everyone to report suspected adverse reactions, even when certainty is lacking. Pharmacovigilance is based on suspicion, not proof. Each report contributes to a larger body of evidence that helps identify trends, improve prescribing practices, and protect future patients. A culture of safety is one in which reporting is seen not as an extra task but as a collective responsibility and an opportunity to improve healthcare for everyone.
From the Foundation
From the Foundation Why Pharmacovigilance Matters More Than Ever Over the past three issues of The Pillar, we have explored how evidence prevents harm, why science must reach the clinic, and why research must be communicated effectively to improve patient care. Yet even the best evidence cannot answer every question about medicine safety. Once medicines are used in everyday clinical practice, new information continues to emerge, making pharmacovigilance an essential part of healthcare. Pharmacovigilance is the science and practice of detecting, assessing, understanding, and preventing adverse effects or other medicine-related problems. Although medicines undergo rigorous testing before approval, clinical trials cannot capture every possible adverse reaction. Rare events, long-term effects, and reactions in special populations often become apparent only after medicines are widely used. In low-resource settings, monitoring medicine safety poses unique challenges. Limited reporting systems, shortages of trained personnel, inadequate documentation, and competing healthcare priorities can hinder the identification and response to adverse drug reactions. As a result, many medicine-related harms remain unreported, and opportunities to improve patient safety are lost. Yet pharmacovigilance does not require sophisticated technology to start making a difference. It begins with observant healthcare professionals, patients, or community members who recognise unusual reactions, document them accurately, and report them through the appropriate channels. Every report contributes to a growing body of evidence that helps healthcare systems make safer decisions. At the Qua Pillar Health Research Foundation (QPHRF), we believe that strengthening pharmacovigilance is fundamental to improving the quality use of medicines. A culture of reporting and continuous learning enables healthcare systems to protect patients today while improving care for tomorrow.
June_Training & Capacity Building
Training & Capacity Building Upcoming Webinar Publishing Research and Using Reference Managers for Effective Literature Search and Referencing Planning to publish your research or improve how you manage references? This practical session will cover: Preparing a manuscript for publication Understanding the peer-review process Efficient literature searching strategies Using reference managers (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley) Avoiding common referencing errors Date: TBC This webinar is ideal for clinicians, postgraduate students, and early-career researchers preparing theses, dissertations, or journal articles. ➡ Register here: https://forms.gle/1zEjXoy54jjtbotY8
June_Research & Innovation Watch
Research & Innovation Watch Open Science and the Future of Accessible Research A growing movement in healthcare, known as Open Science, is challenging traditional models of research access. Open Science promotes the idea that research should be freely available to everyone. Instead of restricting access through paywalls, it encourages the sharing of data, methods, and findings so that knowledge can be used widely and efficiently. This approach has significant implications for global health. When research is openly accessible, a student, clinician, or policymaker anywhere in the world can access the same information. This reduces inequality in access to knowledge and accelerates scientific progress. Open Science also improves transparency and collaboration. By making data and methods available, researchers can validate findings, build on existing work, and avoid duplication. This leads to more efficient use of resources and faster translation of knowledge into practice. However, the success of Open Science depends on systems that support quality, accountability, and responsible data use. Open access alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by strong research standards and clear communication. Ultimately, Open Science represents a shift in how knowledge is viewed, not as a private resource, but as a shared foundation for improving health outcomes.
June_Medicine Safety Insight
Medicine Safety Insight Why Poor Documentation Leads to Unsafe Care Patient safety depends not only on the medicines prescribed, but on the quality of the information that accompanies them. When documentation is incomplete or inconsistent, the healthcare system becomes vulnerable to error. A patient’s medical record is more than a file; it is a continuous account of their treatment history. If key details are missing, the next healthcare provider may make decisions based on incomplete information. One of the most common risks is incomplete records. Missing information about previous treatments, allergies, or existing conditions can lead to inappropriate prescribing or harmful drug interactions. Another critical issue is the under reporting of adverse drug reactions. When side effects are not documented or reported, important safety signals are lost. This prevents healthcare systems from learning and increases the likelihood that other patients will experience the same harm. Poor documentation also leads to weak clinical decision-making. Healthcare professionals rely on accurate data to make informed choices. When records are unclear, outdated, or incomplete, decisions become less reliable, increasing the risk of treatment failure or adverse outcomes. Improving documentation practices is therefore essential for the rational use of medicine. Clear, accurate, and consistent records ensure that the right patient receives the right treatment at the right time: safely.
June_Event Spotlight
Event Spotlight Why Research Visibility Matters in Healthcare When we talk about research visibility, we are referring to the barriers that prevent scientific knowledge from reaching those who need it most. One major challenge is unpublished research. Studies are often shared only when the results are positive or exciting. However, knowing that a treatment does not work is equally important. When such findings remain unpublished, other researchers may repeat the same ineffective approaches, wasting time, resources, and opportunities for progress. Another barrier is limited access to scientific literature. Much of the world’s research is locked behind subscription paywalls. For many healthcare professionals, especially in resource-limited settings, paying to access a single article is not feasible. As a result, valuable knowledge remains out of reach for those working closest to patients. There is also the challenge of poor dissemination. Research findings often remain confined to academic journals and conferences. Without translating this knowledge into accessible formats, such as policy briefs, training materials, or clinical summaries, the information does not reach front line healthcare providers or decision-makers. Improving research visibility is therefore not simply about publication; it is about ensuring that knowledge moves beyond academic spaces and informs practice. When research is visible, it can guide safer treatment decisions, improve outcomes, and strengthen healthcare systems.
June_From the foundation
From the Foundation Why Good Research Is Not Enough In recent issues, we explored how preventable harm occurs in clinical care and why scientific evidence must guide safer prescribing. Yet an equally important question remains: what happens when that evidence is never effectively communicated? It is a common assumption that once a study is completed, the work is done. Many health studies end as “data in a drawer.” They are conducted, analysed, and written, but never published or shared in ways that allow others to use them. Evidence cannot influence care if it is invisible. A well-designed study may offer a solution to a critical health problem, but if the clinician at the point of care is unaware of it, its impact is lost. The gap between research and practice is therefore not only about generating evidence, but about ensuring that it is accessible, understandable, and applied. Closing this gap requires more than producing new knowledge. It requires strengthening how research is communicated, shared, and translated into real-world decision-making. Without this, even the best science remains disconnected from patient care.